Did Google pay Belgian newspapers a $6M copyright fee? Sure looks like it

Google and Belgian news publishers announced a deal that will put an end to their copyright dispute. Google says it is not paying the papers for content — so then why is money changing hands?

Europeans have been trying for years to force Google to prop up the continent’s’ struggling news publishers. A new deal in Belgium suggests they have finally succeeded. In a blog post on Wednesday, Google said it has resolved a long-running dispute with Belgian newspapers that have demanded copyright fees every time Google displays a link or excerpts to one of their stories....